An Ode to the DM | Tips and Tricks for Success
A moment for the eagle-eyed Direct Marketers
We were recently invited to a wrap party to celebrate the completion of the David Jones & Latitude Financial Services Migration Project, as we supported with the Direct Marketing comms through our work with Mastercard. The event was lovely, and it was so nice to see suppliers from all stages of the creative and production processes rewarded for their hard work with a few glasses of bubbles, some delicious canapes, and of course some kind words from the client teams.
It got me thinking that it’s a real shame Direct Marketing doesn’t get celebrated more often. Whether or not the comms contain content that customers wish to hear, they’re a labour of love, and require an awful amount of time, effort, and consideration from a multitude of stakeholders. And while I know there are awards dedicated to DM, let’s be honest, they’re rarely as sexy as the glamorous brand ads, attention-grabbing influencer campaigns, and innovative OOH activations that we so often see in the industry press.
Whilst the aforementioned David Jones & Latitude Financial Services Migration Project was comprised of a lot more than just the Direct Marketing component, it played an integral role. For this reason, I thought I’d take the opportunity to pen this little love letter.
At AW, Direct Marketing comms are our bread and butter and are a great representation of our ‘Small. But Big’ positioning; sometimes the smallest details really do make the biggest difference. In fact, DM comms have been a long-standing feature of my career for at least the past five or six years. I’m weirdly affectionate towards them, humbly quite talented at them, and have seen my fair share of crap ones.
So, to add some kind of value to this Ode to the DM, here are my top five tips for getting it right:
1. Spend longer than you think mapping our your information heirarchy
Whether you’re looking at a one-off comm or a journey, be clear on the points you need to convey and their priority standing. If something doesn’t really need to be there, remove it, or push it down the journey to keep each piece as single-minded as possible.
2. Understand your customer cohorts, and don’t lose sight of these as you go through the process
When you’re dealing with multiple segments, pain points, touchpoints, content pieces, and stakeholders it can be easy to fall into the copy and paste trap, but ensuring you’re continually catering to cohort-specific nuances really helps achieve that all-important ‘tailored’ feel.
3. State your permission to speak early on
Make it known as soon as possible why you’re communicating with the customer, ideally with an associated benefit or value add to pique their interest, and encourage them to read on and engage or take action.
4. Always remain in the customer’s shoes
And if you can, test things out with them, whether they’re real or proxy. Keep things simple, conversational, and digestible. To put it bluntly, avoid letting lawyers and compliance teams try their hand at copywriting.
5. Proofread, proofread again, and proofread once more, and always with at least one pair of (qualified) fresh eyes
Typos, varying use of phrasing and grammar, and inconsistent alignment will tarnish even the most engaging of comms.
More tips are available on request. And if you could use some help with your Direct Marketing/BTL efforts, feel free to drop me a (well-written) line!
